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Avoiding Babylon

Avoiding Babylon Crew
  • 4.7 (192)
  • Christianity

Avoiding Babylon was started during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. During these difficult and dark days, when most of us were isolated from family, friends, our parishes, and even the Sacraments themselves, this channel was started as a statement of standing against the tyrannical mandates that many of us were living under. Since those early days, this channel has morphed into an amazing community of friends…no…more than friends…Christian brothers and sisters…who have grown in joy and charity.  As we see it, our job here at Avoiding Babylon is to remind ourselves and those who enjoy the channel that being Catholic is a joyful and exciting experience. We seek true Catholic fraternity and eutrapelia with other Catholics who, like us, are doing their best to live out their vocation with the help of God’s Grace.  Above all, we try to bring humor and joy to the craziness of this fallen world, for as Hillaire Belloc has famously said: “Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!”

  1. 3h ago ·  Video

    SSPX Fallout and Catholic Infighting w/ Michael Hichborn

    Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link! A single decision in Rome can light a fuse across the Catholic world, and that’s exactly what happens when the SSPX consecrations collide with papal warnings and a decree of excommunication. With Rob away at a family funeral, we take a hard look at why this moment is hitting so many people differently: some feel vindicated, some feel betrayed, and plenty feel stuck between the Catholic instinct to obey the Pope and the lived reality of deep Vatican confusion. We walk through the core questions without pretending they’re easy. What makes a command lawful, and why does that matter even when Church leaders scandalize the faithful? Were the consecrations strategically avoidable, and what would a transparent, public negotiation with Rome have looked like? We also unpack the practical anxiety many Catholics feel about sacramental life, especially confession and marriage faculties, and why vague language and sloppy governance can “cast doubt” even when the underlying sacramental theology is sound. From there, we zoom out to the bigger crisis: Vatican double standards, the post Vatican II revolution in Church culture, and the grim data showing widespread rejection of core Catholic beliefs. But we refuse to let outrage become the point. The deeper fight is for charity, sanity, and salvation. We talk frankly about why sedevacantism can poison the soul, why Catechism 675 helps frame the “mystery of iniquity,” and what it looks like to resist errors without jumping out of the Barque of Peter. If you’re trying to stay faithful in a time when everything feels like a battlefield, we end with a simple plan: stay awake, watch, and pray. If this helped you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who’s struggling, and leave a review so more Catholics can find it. What’s the clearest line you think Catholics should not cross right now? Support the show Get 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout! Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order! Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.avoidingbabylon.com Merchandise: https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.com Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com Full Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribe RSS Feed for Podcast Apps: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

    1h 6m

  2. 3h ago • Subscribers Only

    SSPX Fallout and Catholic Infighting w/ Michael Hichborn

    One decision lit the fuse across Tradland: SSPX consecrations, a papal command to stop, and the cascading arguments about excommunication, obedience, and whether “resistance” can stay Catholic. With Rob away, we sit down with Michael Hitchbourne of the Lepanto Institute to talk like adults about the hard part nobody wants to face: you can see a real crisis in the Church and still believe the Pope is the Pope, with real authority, real courts, and real consequences.We dig into canon law basics without pretending it is “just legalism,” because the fallout hits real people. When Vatican documents are written vaguely, Catholics start doubting whether confessions are valid, whether marriages are valid, and whether they can trust any shepherd at all. We also talk strategy: if Rome offers talks, why not force the terms publicly, set an agenda, demand transparency, and make the refusal obvious instead of letting ambiguity win.From there we zoom out to the bigger story: Vatican II aftershocks, Traditionis Custodes, the Synod on Synodality, and the hard polling data showing collapsing belief in the Real Presence, contraception norms, and moral teaching. We contrast all of that with the call to keep charity alive, resist sedevacantist spirals, and read the moment through the Catechism’s “final trial” lens without losing the plot of salvation. The aftershow turns to rumor culture, smear campaigns, and bizarre “Russian asset” accusations, plus a frank warning about mediums and the occult, and even a practical sidebar on adult kids living at home in today’s economy.If this conversation helps you think more clearly, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more Catholics can find it. What line do you think cannot be crossed, and why?

    2 hr

  3. Jul 1 ·  Video

    SSPX Drama Continues: Sede Inc. Comes After Avoiding Babylon

    Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link! A single letter from Rome can change the whole temperature of the Catholic internet, and this one hits like a brick: Pope Leo pleads with the SSPX to “please turn back,” warns of a “schismatic act,” and points to the seamless garment of Christ. We slow the conversation down and read the letters themselves, because the hot takes are cheap and the stakes are not. If you care about the Society of St Pius X, the consecration of bishops, faculties, and what “unity” actually means in the middle of a Church crisis, you need the primary sources, not the caricatures. We also address the side drama that keeps poisoning the well: critics who misframe what we say, the temptation to turn every disagreement into a bad faith accusation, and the constant pressure to jump from “there’s a crisis” straight to sedevacantism. We explain why we won’t take the “no valid pope since 1958” route, why we think that conclusion creates a bigger ecclesiology problem, and why people owe their audience clarity if they’re going to flirt with sedevacantist arguments while denying the label. Then we get practical and painfully real about liturgy. We play a Bishop Williamson clip that cuts through slogans: the Novus Ordo Mass is not automatically invalid by its text, but it can still be spiritually dangerous in how it forms people, especially children, through irreverence and confusion. We talk about why so many cradle Catholics only found their faith by discovering the Traditional Latin Mass, and why this whole conflict should break your heart instead of feeding your ego. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s caught in the crossfire, and leave a review with your take: what do you think Rome and the SSPX should do next? Support the show Get 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout! Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order! Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.avoidingbabylon.com Merchandise: https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.com Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com Full Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribe RSS Feed for Podcast Apps: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

    59 min

  4. Jul 1 • Subscribers Only

    SSPX Drama Continues: Sede Inc.Comes After Avoiding Babylon (Full LOCALS Show)

    A pope pleads with the SSPX to “please turn back” and warns that a coming consecration would be a “schismatic act” with serious consequences for the faithful. We read Pope Leo’s letter line by line, then read Fr. Pagliarani’s reply, and you can hear why this situation breaks our hearts: it sounds less like a debate clip and more like a family arguing at the edge of a wound that will not close.We also deal head-on with the online narrative war around traditional Catholicism: the habit of misframing people into positions they do not hold, the pressure to “pick a side,” and the constant attempt to force every diagnosis of the Church crisis into the sedevacantist conclusion. We explain why we refuse that logic, why it creates a spiritual dead end, and why it often produces anger and cult-like dynamics instead of clarity and charity. If you’ve searched for SSPX consecrations, SSPX schism, Pope Leo SSPX letter, sedevacantism debate, or traditional Latin Mass controversy, this is the kind of episode that slows everything down and asks what the arguments actually prove.Then we get practical: we play and unpack a Bishop Williamson clip that distinguishes validity from danger, and we talk about the Novus Ordo Mass, scandal, rubrics, and why so many cradle Catholics say their faith came alive when they found tradition. From there the conversation widens to algorithm-driven outrage, civil unrest fears, birthright citizenship, and global instability where AI and great-power conflict start to feel like the next Manhattan Project.If this helped you think more clearly, subscribe, share it with a friend who is stuck in the faction fight, and leave a review so more Catholics can find it.

    1h 55m

  5. Jun 26 ·  Video

    Catholics Lose Their Minds Over the SSPX Consecrations

    Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link! The SSPX consecrations story isn’t just about bishops and Rome. It’s a stress test for the whole traditional Catholic world, and the reaction tells you more than the headline ever could. We talk through why people who never attend an SSPX chapel can seem the most obsessed, why sedevacantists and anti-SSPX critics both use the moment to drive wedges, and why calling everyone a traitor or a grifter is a lazy substitute for thinking. We also get concrete about the substance beneath the drama. We read through a blunt list of modern errors that traditional Catholics keep naming, from relativism and situational ethics to false ecumenism, synodality, and a liturgical focus that feels more human-centered than God-centered. Then we ask the uncomfortable question: how do you reconcile claims that “it’s all in Vatican II” with the day-to-day Vatican posture on interreligious dialogue and “fraternity”? If you care about the Latin Mass, the FSSP, diocesan TLMs, or the SSPX, these tensions shape your lived Catholic experience. The second half turns toward mindset and spiritual survival. We push back on the idea that it’s a Catholic duty to “cope” if that means pretending all is well, but we also warn against scandal addiction and doomscrolling. We close with a surprising historical lens: the real clash between Lefebvre and Paul VI, and why the Church can look like it’s in its passion without having failed. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s stuck in trad infighting, and leave a review so more Catholics can find the conversation. Support the show Get 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout! Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order! Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.avoidingbabylon.com Merchandise: https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.com Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com Full Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribe RSS Feed for Podcast Apps: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

    52 min

  6. Jun 26 • Subscribers Only

    Catholics Lose Their Minds Over the SSPX Consecrations (Full LOCALS Show)

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    1h 32m

  7. Jun 24 ·  Video

    Michael Knowles Just Betrayed Catholic Teaching on Israel

    Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link! “Can we please be normal?” That’s the line we start from, because the Israel conversation rarely stays normal for long. We take a careful look at Michael Knowles’ comments and the broader conservative Catholic media instinct to treat the modern State of Israel as a purely political alliance, detached from theology. We don’t buy that split. When people invoke Scripture, prophecy, covenant language, or “God’s promises,” they are already doing theology, even if they call it foreign policy. We’re joined by Catholic State (Justin) and American Reform to sort out the terms that constantly get blurred: Israel as a people, Israel as a land, and Israel as a modern nation-state. From there we dig into Romans 9–11, what Saint Paul actually means by “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable,” and why Catholic fulfillment theology doesn’t fit comfortably with Christian Zionism or dispensationalism. We also discuss Vatican II language that’s often cited in online debates, plus earlier Catholic sources that shape how many traditional Catholics think about covenant, promise, and continuity. The conversation turns to a newer pro-Israel Catholic advocacy effort asking the Pope to clarify whether the founding and endurance of the State of Israel should be read as a sign of providence. We explain why that question isn’t neutral, why “right to exist” can smuggle in theology, and how Catholics can reject sensationalism while still refusing a forced, two-option script. If you want a more precise, historically grounded way to think about Catholic teaching on Israel, the Holy Land, and political theology, this one will challenge you. Subscribe for more long-form Catholic conversations, share this with a friend who argues about Israel online, and leave a review with your biggest unresolved question after listening. Support the show Get 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout! Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order! Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.avoidingbabylon.com Merchandise: https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.com Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com Full Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribe RSS Feed for Podcast Apps: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

    1h 26m

  8. Jun 24 • Subscribers Only

    Michael Knowles Just Betrayed Catholic Teaching on Israel (Full LOCALS Show)

    Somebody says “Just be normal about Israel,” and suddenly a huge question hides in plain sight: is this really only about foreign policy, or does it touch theology, biblical interpretation, and Catholic tradition in ways most people never examine? We take that challenge seriously, play the key clips that kicked this off, and then slow down the conversation so listeners can actually see the assumptions beneath the slogans.We talk with Catholic State (Justin) and American Reform about the way modern Catholic media can present a safe, mainstream-friendly version of Catholicism that keeps Israel in a protected category. Along the way, we unpack the difference between a people and a political state, why “right to exist” is often an undefined phrase, and how older Catholic sources handled sovereignty in the Holy Land. We also react to a new Catholic open letter asking Pope Leo to clarify whether Catholics should see the State of Israel as a sign of God’s providence, and we explain why that question can’t be answered well without clear definitions.Then we turn to the doctrinal flashpoints that keep reappearing in public arguments: Romans 9 to 11, covenant language, fulfillment theology, and how Nostra Aetate is interpreted in practice. We also touch eschatology and why end-times speculation can go off the rails if you don’t separate Catholic doctrine from theological opinion. Our goal is clarity without hysteria: careful sourcing, honest categories, and charity that doesn’t require intellectual surrender.If this conversation helps you think more clearly, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. What’s one phrase in the Israel debate you want us to define and challenge next?

    2h 14m
See All (678)

4.7
out of 5
192 Ratings

About

Avoiding Babylon was started during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. During these difficult and dark days, when most of us were isolated from family, friends, our parishes, and even the Sacraments themselves, this channel was started as a statement of standing against the tyrannical mandates that many of us were living under. Since those early days, this channel has morphed into an amazing community of friends…no…more than friends…Christian brothers and sisters…who have grown in joy and charity.  As we see it, our job here at Avoiding Babylon is to remind ourselves and those who enjoy the channel that being Catholic is a joyful and exciting experience. We seek true Catholic fraternity and eutrapelia with other Catholics who, like us, are doing their best to live out their vocation with the help of God’s Grace.  Above all, we try to bring humor and joy to the craziness of this fallen world, for as Hillaire Belloc has famously said: “Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!”

Information

  • Creator
    Avoiding Babylon Crew
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    678
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Avoiding Babylon
  • Show Website
    Avoiding Babylon
  • Provider
    Robert Blyton

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